Device for forming letters, &amp; c.



No. 725,205. PATENTED APR. 14, 19%.

' W. P. BLOUNT. v

DEVICE FOR FORMING LETTERS, 6w.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21. 1902.

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Wihwsom No. 725,205. 7 PATENTED APR. 14, 1903. W. F. BLOUN T. DEVICE FOR FORMING LETTERS, 8w.

APPLIGATION'FILED AUG. 21. 1902.

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-WA RREN FRANKLIN BLOUN T, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

DEVICE FOR FORMING LETTERS., &.O.

$PEGIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 725,205, dated April 14, 1903. Application filed August 21,1902. Serial lilo. 120,542. (No model.)

To all whom, itmag concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN FRANKLIN BLOUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Forming Letters, &c.; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same. r

This invention relates to a device for forming letters, words, symbols, or marks of sand or powder of any desired color on roads or street-surfaces for advertising and other purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, durable, and efiicient apparatus of this character which may be drawn or propelled by hand or by horse or other power and which may be constructed at a low cost.

With the above and other objects in view, which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, said invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combination and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device of the character described embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse, section of the same on the line of the supportingshaft. Fig. 3 is an end elevation. Fig. 4 is a front to rear section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2. V Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 represents a stationary shaft on which are loosely journaled two carrying or supporting wheels 2, which are connected by arms 3 to a revoluble drum 4, which drum comprises a perforated cylinder 5, closed at its ends by heads 6, Which are also loosely mounted on the shaft 1. The cylinder or body portion of the drum may be formed of perforated sheet metal or reticulated material, as desired. As thewheels revolve when the apparatus is drawn or pushed along motion is communicated to the drum, which turns about the shaft at the same rate of speed as the wheels. Fixed to the shaft on the interior of the frame is a V-shaped hopper 7, adapted to contain fine sand or powdered material of any color and provided at its lower end with a hinged or pivoted valve 8, which controls the discharge of sand or powder therefrom. Secured to the base of the hopper on opposite sides of said valve and touchingthe inner periphery of the lowest point of the screen drum or cylinder 5 are guards 9, which direct the discharging sand or powder to the lowest point of the cylinder and prevent it from passing from the cylinder at any other point. The valve is controlled from without through the medium of a hand-lever 10, extending to the interior of the drum through a groove in one end of the shaft and provided at its inner end with a crank-arm 11, slotted toreceive a pin 12 upon one end .of a lever 13, centrally pivoted to the hopper, the opposite end of said lever being connected by a link 14 to the valve. lBy manipulating tho hand-lever the valve may be closed to cut off the discharge of sand or powder from the hopper or opened to any extent to regulate the amount of sand or powder feeding from the hopper, as desired.

. A distributing belt or band 15 extends L nearly around the perforated cylinder or drum and receives motion therefrom and is provided withpassages 16 in the form of slots cut stencil-fashion in the belt to provide letters, marks, or symbols constituting the advertising or other matter which is to be transferred by the discharge of sand or powder therethrough onto the road or street surface, the sand or powder being deposited in such manner as to take the form of such letters, marks, or symbols, as will be readily understood. The beltis of greater size or diameter than the drum and at its upper portion is not in contact with the highest portion of the drum, but is adjustably supported in the following manner: Mounted rigidly on the projecting ends of the shaft 1 are brackets 17, each having an eye or socket 18 for the reception of pivot-bolts on a bail-handle, shafts,or other draft attachment, (not shown,) whereby the device may be pulled or pushed by hand, drawn by a draft-animal, or connected to a vehicle, so as to be drawn or pushed along. Rising from each of these brackets are a pair of spaced vertical standards 19, which extend above the drum 4 and each of which is provided with slots 20 and 21 for the reception of bolts or rods 20 and 21, vertically adjustable in said slots. Secured to each pair of standards is a horizontal bar 22, extending in a direction transversely to the standards and to the shaft 1 and provided on opposite sides of its center with slots 23 23, receiving similar bolts or rods 24 24, which are adjustable horizontally in said slots. Each rod or bolt is headed at one end to bear upon one standard or bar, as the case may be, and threaded at its opposite end to receive a nut 25, which bears upon the other standard or bar and adjustably secures the rod or bolt in position. On the bolts or rods between the standards and the bars are loosely mounted rollers 26, and from the drum the upper portion of the belt first passes over the inner surfaces of the rollers on the rods or bolts 20, thence outwardly and around the outer surface of the rollers on the rods or bars 24 24', and finally inwardly and upwardly and over the rollers on the rods or bars 21. By this construction'it will be seen that by the adjustment of the rods or bolts in the slots diiferent sizes of belts may be employed for use in connection with different-sized cylinders or for distributing the sandor powder to form words, symbols, or other matter covering greater or less space and that also the belt may be adjusted to compen'sate for stretching and to always bear with the proper force or tension on the screencylinder 5. This construction furthermore spaces the stretches of the belt at their upper ends, so as to expose the top of the cylinder 5, whereby sand or powder may be fed into the hopper through the top or upper portionof the cylinder, enabling the hopper to be conveniently replenished whenever required. A door may, however, be provided in the screen-cylinder for this purpose.

The operation is as follows: Assuming the hopper to be supplied with a quantity of sand or powder to be distributed and the valve 8 to be opened to the desired extent for its discharge, when the apparatus is drawn or pushed along the drum will revolve and transfer motion to the belt, thereby bringing the slotted letters, symbols, or characters in the latter successively below the space between the guards 9 and also below the lowest point of the screen-cylinder. The parts are so arranged that the lowest portions of the cylinder and belt come within an inch or two of the road or street surface over which the device is traveling, so that the sand or powder discharging from the hopper will pass down through the meshes or perforations of the cylinder and then through the slots in the belt; being deposited upon the ground in a ground or street surface.

form corresponding to the shape of each slot, thus causing the production upon the ground of one or more letters, words, marks, or symbols, whereby the advertising or other matter is displayed in sand or powder upon the By this means an attractive sign, name, word, or complete sentence in sand or powder of any color may be formed, which will be repeated at regular intervals along the entire route traveled.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings; it is thought that the construction, mode of operation, and advantages of my improved device for forming letters, &c., will be readily apparent without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device for distributing sand or powder in a prescribed form on street or other surfaces, comprising a stationary shaft, carrying-wheels revoluble on the shaft, a screencylinder journaled on the shaft and revoluble with the wheels, a hopper supported by the shaft within the cylinder and adapted to discharge sand or powder onto the lowest portion of the cylinder, and a traveling belt provided with escape-passages for the discharge of the sand or powder upon the street-surface, said passages adapted to give the escaping sand or powder a desired or prescribed form, substantially as described.

2. A device for distributing sand or powder in a prescribed form on street or other surfaces, comprising a stationary shaft, carrying-wheels revoluble on the shaft, a screencylinder journaled' on the shaft and revoluble with the wheels, a hopper supported by the shaft within the cylinder and adapted to discharge the sand or powder onto the lowest portion of the cylinder, a valve governing the discharge of sand from the hopper, means for adjusting the valve from the exterior, and a traveling belt provided with escape-passages for the discharge of the sand or powder upon the street-surface, said passages adapted to give the escaping sand or powder a desired or prescribed form, substantially as specified.

3. A device fordistributing sand or powder in a prescribed form on street or other sur faces, comprising a stationary shaft, carrying-wheels revoluble on the shaft, a screencylinder journaled on the shaft and. revoluble with the wheels, a hopper supported by the shaft within the cylinder and adapted to discharge the sand or powder onto the lowest portion of the cylinder, a traveling belt provided with escape-passages for the discharge of the sand or powder upon the street-snrmy hand in presence of two subscribing Witfaee, said passages adapted to give the esmesses. Gaping sand or powders desired or prescribed form, and means for adjnstably monntingthe V WARREN FRANKLIN MOUNT 5, belt, substantially as and for the purpose Witnesses:

specified. P. D. LAWRASON,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set F. V. ROWE. 

